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13 October 2009 ~ 6 Comments

We All Have Six Packs

The title of this post comes from a sentence in an article on abs from a guy with really great abs.  Yeh, I know there are a lot of hot guys with great abs – see the plethora of calendars, online and offline, making the rounds now that 2010 is in sight.  You haven’t seen them? Maybe I can find some links to help you out.  In the interim – our focus is on our own sixpacks!  Or on our journey there.  The “hot guy” contends we all have Sixpacks!

Let’s explore further the idea that we all have sixpacks – some are just more hidden than others.   I like, but don’t buy entirely into the notion that our sixpacks are merely covered with a layer of fat.  This may be true for many men, and in fact it may have been the case when we were ‘a lot’ younger.   Now the idea that simply dieting will get rid of the fat layer and expose the Boomer sixpack seems less credible.  I believe it will take both getting rid of the fat layer and building the abdominal muscles!  I prefer the idea that we all have the potential for a sixpack   – diet and related exercise and there we are!

My blog posts and the upcoming website are all about women aspiring to ‘SixpackatSixty’ – aspiring to that greater level of fitness.   And when we get there we aspire even higher, right?  It is about the journey as much as about the destination.

So, to enjoy that journey let’s talk about our hidden/potential sixpacks, and what is going to help us display them.

Diet – we will revisit the flat belly diet plus some specifics

Exercise – burn the fat and build the abs.

Diet Guidelines

  • Be aware of the calories you consume.  Don’t become obsessed with counting calories – it will drive you and your family nuts!  Rather be sensible.  You know the high calorie foods and you know the greens, complex carbs, and lean protein that will help your goal.  You don’t need a calorie counter if you eat sensibly.
  • Don’t feel deprived – if you want that dessert then have it and get back on track tomorrow.  If you crave it and constantly deny yourself the treat, it leads to all sorts of weird relationships with food, and the slippery slope to eating disorders.
  • Include the flat belly foods in your diet daily – of course in moderation:  almonds, olives and olive oil, avocadoes to name a few.
  • Include the ‘good bacteria’ (pro-biotics) in your diet to aid good digestion.  Organic yoghurt that lists the live and active cultures on the package is a good option.

Exercise Guidelines

  • Overall objective  –  burn more calories than you consume, and you can do this with cardio activities such as walking, running, treadmill, stair-stepper or an aerobics class.  This calorie burning activity will remove that layer of fat and expose the sixpack that you’ll build with targeted exercise.

o   Don’t go overboard.  A future blog post will outline the danger of burning calories versus burning stored protein.

o   Do cardio on the days you don’t do weight training is just one idea for a training program.  However, I often do cardio before or after my weight-training; it depends on my schedule.

  • Major Objective –  build the abs so that we have strong stomachs, flat stomachs and muscular definition  –  aka sixpack.

o   I have discussed in previous Facebook posts the abdominal routines that don’t rely on crunches, sit-ups and leg-raises –  (which are all less than ideal in a Boomer routine where our goal is to avoid strain on the lower back).  I will attach one such set of exercises to this post.

Abs Exercises
o   Use your core (i.e. your abs) in all your weight training exercises.  You get the benefit of working your abs while strengthening your core and you avoid hurting your back.  To use your abs in all exercises tighten the lower abs before you start.  Use this to keep your body properly aligned during the exercise; and most important when you ‘blow out’ air during the exertion of the exercise, tighten the abs all the more (really push the air out of the stomach and lungs).

If you need more detail on any of this send an email to:

info@sixpackatsixty.com

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